DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN: DAVIS BACK IN COURT AGAINST THE NFL

Testimony was heard yesterday from Raiders Owner Al
Davis in the $130M antitrust suit filed by the St. Louis
Convention and Visitors Commission against the NFL,
according to William Lhotka of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH.
Davis described the NFL's dealings during the team's
relocation as "extortion," adding, "It wasn't until St.
Louis came up with a lot more money that the deal to St.
Louis was approved." Davis' testimony, which was read to a
jury, "contained some of the strongest comments yet against
the NFL." Under cross-examination, Davis admitted the
league has a right to determine the number of expansion
teams and their date of entry into the league. But "he
insisted the league has no authority to block an existing
franchise from moving." Testimony was also heard yesterday
from Cardinals Owner Bill Bidwill, who said he paid a $7.5M
relocation fee when he moved his team to AZ. But he said
that he had "no idea how that figure was reached." 49ers
President Carmen Policy said that the Rams' relocation fee
of $29M was the "result of negotiations between the Rams and
the league, not from a set formula" (POST-DISPATCH, 10/23).